Comfortably Middle Class

Dear Friends and Family,

We made so much progress on the budget yesterday!

I called the photographer for the school photos and negotiated a reduced price. Instead of paying $50 for a CD with the class photo on it, I'll be paying $25 for a CD and print of the class photo. That's progress. And, we found $154 on a credit card. We had paid one of our credit cards twice over the holidays. So, that's money we didn't have the day before. And, last but not least, we decided to stay at my sister's house for my nephew's birthday party.

And, that's what life is like on a budget. I wonder how many people are on one. It's not fun. It's not easy at first. And, it can introduce stress. Still, on the flip side, we're building up for retirement. We're saving for tuition for school next year. We're prioritizing our spending on what's important to us, and in the process simplifying our lives.

We've got $38 left for the week and that's not going to go far. We need toner for the printer and it can't wait until the weekend. Mr. mouse unequivocally wants to get invites out for P's birthday party because I am adamantly opposed to the concept of a "save the date" for a kid's birthday party. We need gas. And, either of those alone will chew up the $38 much less both of those.

I could theoretically get gas on the weekend, but it's more expensive. Or, I'm fine borrowing from the weekend budget since we found $355 through the above three changes. If I do the math, this is what it's like to be comfortably middle class and I'm okay with that.

It'll teach us discipline and teach P something about money. My parents didn't teach me much of anything about money and I had some painful lessons of my own before getting my plan in place. I think back a handful of adults who gave me some really good advice when I was in the early twenties. I think back to a pivotal class I took on retirement planning. I think back to books I read to get started.

I never thought twenty years later I would make the progress I did. And, I never thought twenty years later I'd be on this budget. Perhaps the two go hand in hand.


Cheers!
mouse

Living on a Budget

Dear Friends and Family,

The budget? I feel like we're turning into irrational people. It's hard. I'm eagerly anticipating my first credit card bill to see if we can adjust upwards.

This week, and it's only Tuesday mind you, we're off to a rocky start. There's the $40 for Mr. mouse's train pass and my toll road pass. There's the $28 for gas. And, I bought a present for my cousin's kid's first birthday and Mr. mouse bought a book.

Now, there's enough money left for the school photos and a spot of gas. Really? This is what it's like to live on a budget?

I'm trying to convince Mr. mouse to return a present we bought and didn't use. And to call a credit card and request a credit balance. He's debating biking to work. We decided to camp out at my sister's house instead of getting a hotel when we visit next month.

Yes, this is what it's like to live on a budget. It's worth it.


Cheers!
mouse

04.08.13: Lovely Weekend

Dear Friends and Family,

We had a play date on Saturday with one of P's friends from school. P and her friend had a ball drawing with chalk in the courtyard. We had dinner out with a friend and they came over for ice cream afterwards. I went to church on Sunday and then went to try and get my ears to pop.

The highlight of my weekend? We went to the zoo on Sunday afternoon. We went to see Australia first which included emus and kangaroos and wombats and snakes. Then, we went to see the zebras and giraffes. And, that's when P asked if we could go see the gorillas.

We made our way through the South American monkeys, Asian monkeys, and African monkeys before getting to the gorillas. P was enthralled. We stood there talking to the gorilla. P volunteered, Gorilla, I have two hands and two feet, just like you. Gorilla, I have a nose too. Gorilla, I have an elbow too. When I asked her if she was a gorilla she said no, my head is bigger.

Just when my arms were beginning to get tired, she said, Gorilla, I need to go eat lunch now so I'll see you next time. It was so endearing.

We came home. We went to see the space for P's birthday party. I'm very excited about it. P's excited about it. Mr. mouse is excited about it. It should be good.


Cheers!
mouse

Another Day, Another Doctor's Appointment

Dear Friends and Family,

I wrote my doctor yesterday to tell her my ear was still not quite normal. It's better than it was a week ago, but still not quite normal. She wants me to come in again today so she can look at it again.

Fortunately, the appointment is at 8:40 and Mr. mouse agreed to drive P around the block once or twice while I'm at the doctor's office so I don't pay another $10 to park my car at the parking lot.

We still have $40 left for the weekday budget. I'm hopeful that I don't get prescribed any new medication. Then, I can still fill up the tank and even have some money left over as a credit towards the weekend.

When I first started this budget, I was adamant about not letting money flow from one budget to the next. Now, I'm okay with the idea of if I have $10 left at the end of Friday, I'll zero out the weekday budget and add $10 to the weekend budget.

I'm remembering moderation.


Cheers!
mouse

Progress, Finally

Dear Friends and Family,

It's Thursday, and we still have $61 left in our weekly budget. I'm almost giddy.

We haven't had any visits to the doctor, no jury duty, no haircuts, no mid-week social commitments, no groupons, no mix ups with the train. It's just been a normal week. Dinner out last night felt like a treat. You should have seen P's face when I told her we were going out to dinner. She was so happy. If we can keep it to one night out as a family and one night out with just P and me to avoid the traffic we can make it through the week in good shape, as long as no odd things pop up.

I'll be so proud of us if we make it through the week okay.

You might ask why this is so important to me. Clearly this budget doesn't have to be this strict. It's me trying to understand what the world will look like if we go down to one income and still need to pay tuition for P's school. I'm not sure if it needs to be this strict. I'm not sure if it needs to be stricter. This is just me beginning to assess what the world will look like. I'll fine tune once we've done this for a couple of months. If the checking account starts growing, I'll loosen the reins a bit. If it doesn't, I'll tighten a bit more. I figure it's a learning process.

My actual income? That doesn't figure into the equation much at all. Almost all of my income goes into a retirement account we have set up so it doesn't really pay for any of the day to day expenses. That's a lesson we learned from the craziness of 2001. We learned to live on one income since work seemed so unstable at the time.

Here's to $61!


Cheers!
mouse

mouse, Thank You Very Much

Dear Friends and Family,

Sometimes you agree to disagree. And, sometimes you don't. Having kids only complicates this because as adults you can agree to disagree, but as parents you need to pick one option for your kids.

And what is it Mr. mouse and I so vehemently on? How P should address grownups, teachers, our friends, parents of her friends. Her current teachers add a generic title in front of their name. It's unclear if it's Ms. or Miss. even if they are mostly married. And that is what P calls them. I don't think that's the issue. Teachers will introduce themselves by whatever they prefer to be called. Simple enough.

Now, on to parents of her friends and our friends. I'm fine with adjusting. For example, B.H. who is Q's mom, has Q call me by my first name. So, I have P call her by her first name, B. Mr. mouse thinks P should call her Mrs. H. We just disagree.

First off, who does this anymore? Second off, I just plain old HATE Miss and Mrs. I don't think P needs to define herself by her marital status. What's wrong with Ms. Has it gone out of fashion? It may have, since almost no one uses last names anymore to address each other.

On top of that, it's just too complicated. There are too many women who opt for different last names than their kids. And, how is P to know this? Did she keep her last name? Did she hyphenate? Why assume? Because we all know what happens when you assume.

Anyway, we'll see where this leads.


Cheers!
mouse, not Mrs. mouse, not Ms. mouse, just mouse

PS: P had a most interesting conclusion last night. She said our friend must know the Easter bunny because the Easter bunny gave us some macarons from our friend. Then, she concluded our friend must have told the Easter bunny that P liked the book Hatch because she saw P reading it at school. And, that's why the Easter bunny knew to get it for her. Too cute.

Changing Behavior

Dear Friends and Family,

Traffic was bad yesterday. Before our budget, Mr. mouse would have taken the train out to meet us and we would have gone out to dinner without thinking about it. Now, with the strict budget restrictions on us, we met on the way home (no incremental cost to getting off at a different station) and drove home together.

On the way home, we stopped to pick up some probiotics for me. Before our budget, we would have all gone into Whole Foods together and inevitably ended up eating dinner there. Instead, Mr. mouse stayed in the car with P and I went in by myself. The probiotics still cost $24, but we didn't spend any other money on top of that.

I suppose this budget is changing behavior, if the above is to be believed. We also delayed housecleaning for a week because I wanted to catch up on the weekend budget. Contrary to my hopes, we didn't catch up some this past weekend. In fact, we fell further behind because last week was such a disaster. I'm hoping my ear gets better. I really don't want to spend all the money we "saved" last night on parking, a co-pay, and more medicine.

I know at some point this will not feel as restrictive as it does now. I look forward to the weekend when we have funds left over. It'd be nice to buy some new clothes or get a manicure or do any number of things that felt like a part of normal life but for the moment feel like unobtainable luxuries. We'll get there, just not this weekend.


Cheers!
mouse

04.01.13: Delightful Easter Weekend

Dear Friends and Family,

We had a delightful weekend.

Saturday, we went to the park for the Easter egg hunt. Unfortunately, by the time we got there, all of the eggs were gone. We still had fun blowing bubbles and enjoying the warm weather. We ran into a neighbor and caught up about schools and life in the city. P loaned her daughter one of our bubble blowers and our friend returned the sharing by having her daughter offer P one of her three Easter eggs from the hunt.

We headed home after that and P's friend Q came over for a play date. We let the kids play while we ordered lunch. And, then, after lunch we headed to the park. Wow. P's gotten fast on her bike. I need to jog to keep up. This made Q a little sad because he had to constantly ask P to wait for him. At the park, we played on the jungle gym and then we played a round of duck-duck-goose and a round of color tag. P loves running. Fortunately, she didn't get tagged. Q was too busy tagging the adults.

Back at home, we played a couple more games. Then, the kids headed upstairs with Mr. mouse for a rousing game of hide and seek while we listened to the laughter from the first floor.

It was fun to see P sharing her toys and funny to hear the conversations they got into.

Sunday, we had to coordinate a complex Easter egg hunt of our own. Mr. mouse left the house with the eggs and sat on our front porch guarding the eggs. I woke P and got her dressed and brushed her teeth. Then, we called Mr. mouse to see what was taking him so long (his queue that we were ready) and he promptly "returned" home. We went outside and you should have heard P squeal. While she was finding the eggs, I came back in and put out her basket. She didn't notice I was gone.

When she discovered her basket, she was giddy. She took it apart and put all the candy away. Then, she read the book the Easter bunny left her before getting ready for church.

I ended up in overflow seating for mass, but I enjoyed it more than regular mass. Sometimes I like the spoken response vs. the sung response. It was a nice change.

Back at home, we ate lunch and then colored Easter eggs.

It was a fabulous weekend. We didn't make progress on the budget. But, we did enjoy ourselves. I decided to skip housecleaning this upcoming weekend to give us a prayer of catching up on our budget.


Cheers!
mouse

Sad Mouse

Dear Friends and Family,

Woe is me.

March is gone. The weather has been crappy. I don't enjoy work. I'm on a million and one medicines for my ear. My thyroid is back out of whack. My budget experiment has been an abysmal failure. And, I just got a crappy letter from a company that reminds me I really didn't make the progress I've wanted to on my idea.

On a positive note, our retirement account did well, hard not to with stock indexes hitting record highs. Still, I guess I need to focus on the positive.

I still have decent health, although it could be better, it could be a lot worse. Mr. mouse and P have excellent health. We're both still gainfully employed. I love my family. My family loves me. We have a roof over our heads and an emergency fund for emergencies. It's Friday.

Perhaps, I need to think about this in chunkable pieces.

1. I will take my medicine for my ear. I will assess how it is doing when I finish my course of medicine. Outside of that, it is not currently in my control.
2. I do not control time or weather. Outside of my control.
3. My thyroid is out of whack. I will take medicine. I will take vitamins. I will adopt a dairy free lifestyle. I will eat TUMS instead for calcium.
4. I will see if we can make progress this weekend on our budget. If I make it through today, which I should, then I will be able to see if we can make ground this weekend. We ended last weekend $257 in the hole. Realistically, I will try to end this weekend only $180 in the hole.
5. I will call the company I got the crappy letter from and see what my options are. I don't want to pay $205 and then have my policy cancel on May 1 if I don't make the progress I need to make in April. I don't think they want to either. So, I'll call and see what my options are.
6. Work. What to do about work. Ideally, I'd like to work through September when P starts school. That means five more months. The months fly quickly. Still, I don't enjoy work. This one I need to think about. But, given all of the above, I'm not going to think about it now. I'm going to at least wait until after my ear clears up.

So, my top three for today. My ear. My budget. The phone call.

Okay. I feel marginally better. The house is a disaster, but I feel marginally better.


Cheers!
mouse

In Search of Normalcy

Dear Friends and Family,

After so many abnormal weeks, I'm looking for a plain Jane ordinary week. A week without a doctor's appointment, a week without jury duty, a week without Mr. mouse traveling, a week without something school related. A week without five days of bad traffic for no good reason. A week where everyone in the mouse house is healthy. A normal week where Monday to Friday we just do our normal mouse family thing.

Perhaps next week will be such a week. We have nothing on the docket school wise. We have nothing on the docket travel wise. Perhaps next week will just be an ordinary week.

Yesterday, we had a mix up on meeting up points. I picked P up early and brought her home after my doctor's appointment. I tried calling Mr. mouse repeatedly but did not leave a message. Mr. mouse called my desk phone since he didn't want to call my cell phone, and then took the train out to meet us for mail and dinner. Then, Mr. mouse was talking to someone or another from work and missed my call and didn't get off by the house and ended up in the suburbs somewhere and had to take the train back home. Hassle and a quarter and to rub salt in the wound, now we're $9 in the hole for the week.

This may be why I'd love a normal week. All these random things throw the budget completely out of whack. There's the $15 in medicine from yesterday, and the $7 in parking. There's the $14 in parking when I was on jury duty and the extra $3 in train fare when I was on jury duty and the $2 for a bottle of water since they don't let you bring in water bottles.

A normal week. That's all I want.


Cheers!
mouse

Jury Duty

Dear Friends and Family,

I walked out of the house just after 7 o'clock and walked to the bus station. I took the bus to the transfer point and transferred to another bus. It was nice being outside even if the wind was a little brisk. I took the second bus to the courthouse and arrived with approximately 15 minutes to spare.

I went through the metal detector and sent my bag through the x-ray screening. I walked around a little bit looking for the jury assembly room. I presented my papers and drew a lot for my panel (panel 37) and took one of the many comfy seats they had lined up in the room.

I read some papers I had meant to read for my idea. I began watching Breaking Dawn Part 2. At 9:30, they played a ten minute video for us telling us what to expect for the day. Then, they announced that there was only one jury trial in the courthouse for the day. And, we settled in for the wait.

The room was quite large and the seats spread out. They played one TV for people who needed entertainment. There are restrooms and vending machines. And, there were three quiet rooms if the TV bothered you. All in all, not a bad place to spend a day. They allowed laptops, electronic books and smart phones. Or, at least, they didn't disallow them. But, definitely no cell phone conversations.

I nibbled on trail mix. I bought a bottle of water for $1.25. I watched the rest of the movie. It was 11:30. I ate a sandwich. At 11:45, I moved to one of the quiet rooms. And, just as I was getting settled, they announced that the defendant had pleaded guilty in the one jury trial of the day, so we were all dismissed.

I collected my check for $17.20 and headed out to take the bus home.


Cheers!
mouse

Jury Duty

Dear Friends and Family,

I received a letter in the mail about a month ago for standby jury duty. I called yesterday and was told, yes, please report to the courthouse today.

I've decided to take the bus to save the money for the week.

I'm bringing with me:

1. notebook and brick
2. blackberry
3. personal cell phone
4. ipod
5. my kindle with my books
6. Mr. mouse's kindle with my movies
7. a paperback book and a 21 page document on my idea
8. headphones
9. coins
10. lunch and snack

Hopefully it's not too painful.


Cheers!
mouse

03.25.13: Budget Weekend

Dear Friends and Family,

I explained our budget to P so she was very diligent this weekend about spending money. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said about her parents.

I thought the weekend would be flush with cash after the belt tightening of the weekday. Alas, after we paid for the gas bill, my haircut, the house cleaning, the dry cleaning, and the groceries, we were in the hole for the weekend. This highlights how lax we've gotten with our spending. Because, pre-budget, we would have thought nothing of going out for a meal or two and doing something with P on both days.

I guess I need to be cognizant of having haircut and house cleaning on the same weekend. And, the gas bill will hopefully go down once we have some decent weather. This week will be impossible if I get jury duty. Or rather it will be impossible if I get jury duty and Mr. mouse rents a car to do drop off. We'll see what we decide once I call tonight to see if I need to show up. Looks like driving will take 20 minutes, public transportation will take an hour and 20 minutes. But, mass transit is "free" since I'm merely swapping with Mr. mouse whereas renting a car is definitely not free.

The rest of the weekend was fun. Saturday, Mr. mouse took P to the art museum (free) and we went to the park on Sunday (also free). The highlight of the weekend was Sunday night when P and I pretended we were in an auto race. We raced. We stood and made Mr. mouse sing the respective anthems. We sprinkled each other with pretend champagne. We stood for our photos. We sat for our press conference and made Mr. mouse ask us questions. For our last round, P used her baseball helmet for a racing helmet and offered me her baby doll's knit cap for a racing helmet.

I can only imagine what the pictures will look like.


Cheers!
mouse

52 Things Will Leave the Mouse Pad (Round 2) Update

Dear Friends and Family,

It's a new year. And, I'm beginning another round of my clutter diet. The goal? I am going to try and have 52 things meaningfully leave the mouse pad this year. It's a purposeful decision to remove something that has found a home in our home. I'm evicting unwanted tenants.

There's different questions different people use to gauge what should stay and what should go. There's do I still love it, does it serve a purpose, when did I last use it, etc. My guiding light question will be knowing what I know today, would I buy this today?

The List (most recent departures listed first):

1. We're sending over a box to my cousin's little boy. He just turned one. It's a wonderful opportunity for us to shed some toys P is done with. First is a large zoo my brother got her for her second Christmas.
2. Next is a small zoo Mr. mouse's folks got P for her second Christmas.
3. There's a bucket of blocks P got from my parents.
4. There's a set of bowling pins from Auntie Janet from P's second birthday.
5. And, last but not least, there's a puzzle Mr. mouse bought once when we were traveling. It's got four little puzzles each with four pieces.
6. I've been sick for three days now and so I'm going to focus on something small for today. My friend Pete offered me $50 for my four year old crib and mattress. P's slept in it almost every night since she was three months old so we've gotten full usage out of it. It'll be a little sad, but she loves her big girl bed so I guess she's ready for the change.
7. We had a small refrigerator sitting on our landing. It used to be in Mr. mouse's office until they moved offices and sneaking a refrigerator in got too complicated. Then, we used it for parties on the deck, on occasion. However, it's latest use, gathering dust while sitting on our landing for the last four years, didn't seem like its best use. So, when we learned the nursery room that P stays in when I go to church needed a refrigerator, we dropped it off.
8. I'm writing about clutter because sometimes it's easier to focus on a small thing than to try and process a storm going on around you. And, I am truly getting rid of something so I have the slight endorphin rush from progress against clutter. This one is almost comical. I have 12 Disney coffee mugs I bought in 1994 so almost twenty years ago. Actually, I bought close to two dozen mugs, but donated a batch some years ago and kept only my favorites. The colors are them are really nice. The feel of them is really nice. I haven't used one ever. They're still new in box. I found a friend of a friend who has a car with a vanity plate of Disney Lover. I am going to give the last 12 mugs to her. I am still sad to have these mugs leave the house. I don't use them. They sit above my stove in the cabinet. They need to go. Would I buy them today? Possibly, if I came across them somewhere. The problem is, I don't think I'd come across them anywhere today. So, I guess I couldn't or rather I wouldn't buy them today. Be strong, mouse, let them go.
9. The next two are almost trivial. I almost feel guilty counting them. Yesterday, I went into a bin of light bulbs we had and I found a plant bulb from the pile of random bulbs that sit in our garage. I brought it into work and gave it to my friend who now uses it to light up the plant I gave her. (see below, second from bottom)
10. I brought a bag of P's swim diapers to school. We've been most excellent about managing diaper inventory and diaper transitions to not have spare diapers, but swim diapers are a different story. On numerous occasions, we bought a pack of 12 to use one at the hotel pool and brought 11 home. Since P doesn't need swim diapers anymore and since we forgot to bring them to my sister who does, I brought them into school and gave them to the two year old room, for those times they might need them.
11. junk: old telephone and two routers
12. useful, just not for us: sandwich maker
13. junk: three plastic cups
14. useful, just not for us: bagel slicer
15. useful, just not for us: more aqua globes
16. useful, just not for us: two winter coats
17. baby gear: two baby gates
18. baby gear: three baby gates
19. books: five or more kid books
20. toys: two noise makers
21. toys: Candy Land and Chutes and Ladders
22. toys: elephant pull toy
23. toys: peg puzzle with farm animals
24. toys: two bags of blocks
25. useful, just not for us: house plant
26. useful, just not for us: exercise ball

The tally from 2012?

1. junk: 15
2. useful, just not for us: 14
3. toys: 11
4. baby gear: 7
5. odds and ends: 3
6. books: 2

We'll see if I can get to 52 this year. I'm cautiously optimistic.


Cheers!
mouse

$20 to See Me Through the Day

Dear Friends and Family,

The first week on a budget is always a rude awakening. Do we really spend that much money unawares? Sadly, apparently, the answer is yes, we do spend that much money unawares.

After Day 1 when I unthinkingly bought 6 Lean Cuisines and Mr. mouse took a taxi home, we were down to $80 for the remainder of the working week. A haircut, gas, and a visit to the doctor's office brought that number down to $20. And, here we are, Friday. If we make it through today, the clock starts again. (Weekday budget, separate weekend budget.)

With $20, I'll probably get mail on my own and save the $6 train ticket for Mr. mouse. That leaves $20 for dinner for two vs. $14 for dinner for three. Any money left after dinner will do in the gas tank.

I'll wake up tomorrow feeling wealthy. Wealthy enough to pay the gas bill.


Cheers!
mouse

Reining in Game of Thrones

Dear Friends and Family,

spoiler alert: I'll be talking about characters from the last published book. So, if you're not caught up this will clue you into who is still alive and/or significant.

The books are getting too long. The plot lines are getting too complicated. I can't see how the author is going to possibly tie up all the loose ends in the next two books unless the next two books are monster tomes that take many, many years to finish.

Here's a suggestion. Have some odd disease ravage the land and unequivocally kill all the characters except any character with a Y in their first name. Then, all the plot lines with the dead characters go away. There's still plenty of characters left to fight over the throne. But, we don't have to worry about the Wall anymore. They'd all be dead. We don't have to worry about Theon or Rickon anymore. Dead and dead. We'd lose the Jaime and Cersei stories. Dead and dead. Brandon. Dead.

See how much simpler this would be?

And, there'd still be plenty of people left to fight it out. You'd have Queen Margaery, Princess Myrcella, Queen Selyse, and Daenerys Targaryen. And, you'd get Alayne Stone and Arya Stark. And, Tyrion Lannister, Petyr Baelish, Ser Brynden Tully, and Varys would all make the cut. And, last but not least, Prince Trystane, Nymeria, and Tyene would round out the cast of characters.

Plenty to keep an interesting story line without complicating the writing.


Cheers!
mouse

Another Breakfast Ritual Gone

Dear Friends and Family,

Last night, we drove by the diner we always go to on Saturday morning, and it was closed. P was very sad.

The last time we were there was a couple of weeks ago, when we spent extra time drawing before going sheet shopping for the big girl bed. I'm glad we spent the extra time there.

I've got lots of fond memories. When P was first learning to talk, she'd call out every morning on the way to school, ham, pancakes, syrup, gamja, when she saw the diner. That's her favorite meal there.

We discovered P's love of ham there when I ordered an Eggs Benedict once and she ate all of the ham from the dish. She discovered waffle fries just a couple of trips ago when I ordered them and she liked them.

And, now, the restaurant is empty and all we have left are a bunch of pictures and our memories. When we drove by last night, the sign was down and all the furniture was gone. P was crushed.

We'll have to think of a new breakfast routine for the Saturday mornings when the cleaners are in the house.


Cheers!
mouse

Budget, Sigh

Dear Friends and Family,

Every so often I put myself back on a budget, to remind myself that we need to watch what we spend. It also helps me sort through what I really need and what I buy because it's convenient.

We started a new budget yesterday. And, one day into it we spent 62% of the spend we have allocated for the week. Fortunately, I set up the budget as weekday budget that's supposed to go Monday through Friday and weekend budget for Saturday and Sunday. And, I hit Monday for subway and toll money so we have that covered for the week. Still, what's left will cover a mail night (train ticket, dinner, and gas) and that's about it.

It's good reminding myself that money isn't something that grows on trees.


Cheers!
mouse

03.18.13: Recovering

Dear Friends and Family,

I spent almost the entire weekend sleeping getting over a cold I've had since sometime Tuesday. Sunday was the first night I read to P since almost a week ago. Mr. mouse has been a trooper about being a solo parent while I slept, tried to sleep, and tried to get better.

Saturday, we went to the symphony. P enjoyed it enough that she was eager to go to the third show in the series so I bought tickets for it.

Sunday, we went to bar for the opening race of the 2013 F1 season. P got a giant cotton candy and was happy to see her favorite driver come in 9th. I love her.

And, that's about all I remember from the weekend. Oh, we had friends over for dinner Saturday night. P's room is a little more manageable. The crib is officially out of the house. It wasn't as sad as I thought it would be.


Cheers!
mouse

52 Things Will Leave the Mouse Pad (Round 2) Update

Dear Friends and Family,

It's a new year. And, I'm beginning another round of my clutter diet. The goal? I am going to try and have 52 things meaningfully leave the mouse pad this year. It's a purposeful decision to remove something that has found a home in our home. I'm evicting unwanted tenants.

There's different questions different people use to gauge what should stay and what should go. There's do I still love it, does it serve a purpose, when did I last use it, etc. My guiding light question will be knowing what I know today, would I buy this today?

The List (most recent departures listed first):

1. I've been sick for three days now and so I'm going to focus on something small for today. My friend Pete offered me $50 for my four year old crib and mattress. P's slept in it almost every night since she was three months old so we've gotten full usage out of it. It'll be a little sad, but she loves her big girl bed so I guess she's ready for the change.
2. We had a small refrigerator sitting on our landing. It used to be in Mr. mouse's office until they moved offices and sneaking a refrigerator in got too complicated. Then, we used it for parties on the deck, on occasion. However, it's latest use, gathering dust while sitting on our landing for the last four years, didn't seem like its best use. So, when we learned the nursery room that P stays in when I go to church needed a refrigerator, we dropped it off.
3. I'm writing about clutter because sometimes it's easier to focus on a small thing than to try and process a storm going on around you. And, I am truly getting rid of something so I have the slight endorphin rush from progress against clutter. This one is almost comical. I have 12 Disney coffee mugs I bought in 1994 so almost twenty years ago. Actually, I bought close to two dozen mugs, but donated a batch some years ago and kept only my favorites. The colors are them are really nice. The feel of them is really nice. I haven't used one ever. They're still new in box. I found a friend of a friend who has a car with a vanity plate of Disney Lover. I am going to give the last 12 mugs to her. I am still sad to have these mugs leave the house. I don't use them. They sit above my stove in the cabinet. They need to go. Would I buy them today? Possibly, if I came across them somewhere. The problem is, I don't think I'd come across them anywhere today. So, I guess I couldn't or rather I wouldn't buy them today. Be strong, mouse, let them go.
4. The next two are almost trivial. I almost feel guilty counting them. Yesterday, I went into a bin of light bulbs we had and I found a plant bulb from the pile of random bulbs that sit in our garage. I brought it into work and gave it to my friend who now uses it to light up the plant I gave her. (see below, second from bottom)
5. I brought a bag of P's swim diapers to school. We've been most excellent about managing diaper inventory and diaper transitions to not have spare diapers, but swim diapers are a different story. On numerous occasions, we bought a pack of 12 to use one at the hotel pool and brought 11 home. Since P doesn't need swim diapers anymore and since we forgot to bring them to my sister who does, I brought them into school and gave them to the two year old room, for those times they might need them.
6. Apparently Mr. mouse got motivated. Out went a cable modem box, an old telephone, two routers, and "some other stuff."
7. It comes out of the woodwork. Clutter. I decided to donate a unitasker. I have a sandwich maker. It makes sandwiches. You butter the outside, you put something yummy and meltable on the inside. You wait the requisite amount of time and voila! Golden brown and delicious on the outside, hot and gooey on the inside. Except, a pan and our bacon press does the same thing. And, I don't eat many sandwiches with cheese. And, the sandwich maker makes is a little too brown on the outside. Still, it's childhood memories headed to Goodwill.
8. More clutter coming out of the woodwork. I peeked inside a cabinet we never use. I know that all of the stuff in it needs to eventually make its way out of the mouse pad. For today, three plastic cups with a baseball logo on one side and a supermarket logo on the other are going to Goodwill. We'll never use these cups. I didn't even know we had them until I looked into the cabinet.
9. And, at the last minute, I decided to add the bagel slicer to the things headed to Goodwill. If the bagel is that hard, I'm not sure I want to be eating it. Why do I suddenly feel two rounds of 52 won't be enough?
10. Erin, at work, LOVES the aqua globes she got from me as a white elephant gift. I have one more box of three in the basement. I think I'll bring them in today for her. I hope that's all of the aqua globes we have in the house. I'm beginning to think Mr. mouse has hoarder tendencies. I hope he never spirals out of control.
11. useful, just not for us: two winter coats
12. baby gear: two baby gates
13. baby gear: three baby gates
14. books: five or more kid books
15. toys: two noise makers
16. toys: Candy Land and Chutes and Ladders
17. toys: elephant pull toy
18. toys: peg puzzle with farm animals
19. toys: two bags of blocks
20. useful, just not for us: house plant
21. useful, just not for us: exercise ball

The tally from 2012?

1. junk: 15
2. useful, just not for us: 14
3. toys: 11
4. baby gear: 7
5. odds and ends: 3
6. books: 2

We'll see if I can get to 52 this year. I'm cautiously optimistic.


Cheers!
mouse

Final Tally 3 Out of 5

Dear Friends and Family,

We got our final letter last night.

P was accepted to the school where we bombed the interview. So, that brings the final tally to a very satisfying three acceptances for five applications. Definitely feel like we have a choice. So, ultimately, the six months of school tours and essays and interviews and play groups and screenings were worth it.

Today we're off to see one of the schools P was accepted to. Tomorrow we're off to see the other. The one we heard from last night isn't really in the consideration set. Both Mr. mouse and I like the other two more.

I couldn't be happier.


Cheers!
mouse

Time to Go on a Budget, Again

Dear Friends and Family,

I realized yesterday that we need to get back on a budget if P's really going to private school. The tuition is a little less than a house payment. Fortunately, we don't have a house payment. So, this should conceptually work out fine. We should be able to afford school on two salaries. We should be able to afford school on one salary.

On a side note, Mr. mouse got his bonus on Friday, so I need to do some math to figure out what goes where.

One option is to use the money to pay for our most recent trip. Another option is to save the money for retirement. Another option is to use the money to pay for P's first year of school. Choices, choices.


Cheers!
mouse

03.11.13: The Final Countdown

Dear Friends and Family,

This is the week, the final week in a long and sometimes arduous journey. This week, after much contemplation, some prayer, some discussion, and perhaps one or two more school visits, is the week we accept one of the schools that accepted us last week. We'll send in a deposit and begin a whole new journey of transitioning P from her current school to her new school in the fall.

We can worry about scheduling play dates until next week. We can worry about scheduling P's birthday party next week. We can worry about work next week. This week, we need to focus on making the right decision.

With that being said, I realize this decision isn't final. If, for some reason, we're not happy, we can always withdraw P from the school we chose and look at our next best options. We're still responsible for the care and education of P. The school is a partner in the process, but we're not going to abdicate our responsibility. And, we're still responsible for talking to P, learning what she likes and doesn't like about school. I'm hoping we can nip any problems in the bud. I'm hoping she shares with us.

All that being said, this is the week we make our decision. Deposits are due by Friday, so we have this week to decide.


Cheers!
mouse

PS: The weekend was easy. The cancelled a weekend trip so we had all sorts of time left to enjoy at home.

52 Things Will Leave the Mouse Pad (Round 2) Update

Dear Friends and Family,

It's a new year. And, I'm beginning another round of my clutter diet. The goal? I am going to try and have 52 things meaningfully leave the mouse pad this year. It's a purposeful decision to remove something that has found a home in our home. I'm evicting unwanted tenants.

There's different questions different people use to gauge what should stay and what should go. There's do I still love it, does it serve a purpose, when did I last use it, etc. My guiding light question will be knowing what I know today, would I buy this today?

The List (most recent departures listed first):

1. We had a small refrigerator sitting on our landing. It used to be in Mr. mouse's office until they moved offices and sneaking a refrigerator in got too complicated. Then, we used it for parties on the deck, on occasion. However, it's latest use, gathering dust while sitting on our landing for the last four years, didn't seem like its best use. So, when we learned the nursery room that P stays in when I go to church needed a refrigerator, we dropped it off.
2. I'm writing about clutter because sometimes it's easier to focus on a small thing than to try and process a storm going on around you. And, I am truly getting rid of something so I have the slight endorphin rush from progress against clutter. This one is almost comical. I have 12 Disney coffee mugs I bought in 1994 so almost twenty years ago. Actually, I bought close to two dozen mugs, but donated a batch some years ago and kept only my favorites. The colors are them are really nice. The feel of them is really nice. I haven't used one ever. They're still new in box. I found a friend of a friend who has a car with a vanity plate of Disney Lover. I am going to give the last 12 mugs to her. I am still sad to have these mugs leave the house. I don't use them. They sit above my stove in the cabinet. They need to go. Would I buy them today? Possibly, if I came across them somewhere. The problem is, I don't think I'd come across them anywhere today. So, I guess I couldn't or rather I wouldn't buy them today. Be strong, mouse, let them go.
3. The next two are almost trivial. I almost feel guilty counting them. Yesterday, I went into a bin of light bulbs we had and I found a plant bulb from the pile of random bulbs that sit in our garage. I brought it into work and gave it to my friend who now uses it to light up the plant I gave her. (see below, second from bottom)
4. I brought a bag of P's swim diapers to school. We've been most excellent about managing diaper inventory and diaper transitions to not have spare diapers, but swim diapers are a different story. On numerous occasions, we bought a pack of 12 to use one at the hotel pool and brought 11 home. Since P doesn't need swim diapers anymore and since we forgot to bring them to my sister who does, I brought them into school and gave them to the two year old room, for those times they might need them.
5. Apparently Mr. mouse got motivated. Out went a cable modem box, an old telephone, two routers, and "some other stuff."
6. It comes out of the woodwork. Clutter. I decided to donate a unitasker. I have a sandwich maker. It makes sandwiches. You butter the outside, you put something yummy and meltable on the inside. You wait the requisite amount of time and voila! Golden brown and delicious on the outside, hot and gooey on the inside. Except, a pan and our bacon press does the same thing. And, I don't eat many sandwiches with cheese. And, the sandwich maker makes is a little too brown on the outside. Still, it's childhood memories headed to Goodwill.
7. More clutter coming out of the woodwork. I peeked inside a cabinet we never use. I know that all of the stuff in it needs to eventually make its way out of the mouse pad. For today, three plastic cups with a baseball logo on one side and a supermarket logo on the other are going to Goodwill. We'll never use these cups. I didn't even know we had them until I looked into the cabinet.
8. And, at the last minute, I decided to add the bagel slicer to the things headed to Goodwill. If the bagel is that hard, I'm not sure I want to be eating it. Why do I suddenly feel two rounds of 52 won't be enough?
9. Erin, at work, LOVES the aqua globes she got from me as a white elephant gift. I have one more box of three in the basement. I think I'll bring them in today for her. I hope that's all of the aqua globes we have in the house. I'm beginning to think Mr. mouse has hoarder tendencies. I hope he never spirals out of control.
10. Two winter coats, both gifts from Mr. mouse's folks to me for the holidays, I wore one coat until it died on me and I'll never wear the other one unless my life depended on it.
11. baby gear: two baby gates
12. baby gear: three baby gates
13. books: five or more kid books
14. toys: two noise makers
15. toys: Candy Land and Chutes and Ladders
16. toys: elephant pull toy
17. toys: peg puzzle with farm animals
18. toys: two bags of blocks
19. useful, just not for us: house plant
20. useful, just not for us: exercise ball

The tally from 2012?

1. junk: 15
2. useful, just not for us: 14
3. toys: 11
4. baby gear: 7
5. odds and ends: 3
6. books: 2

We'll see if I can get to 52 this year. I'm cautiously optimistic.


Cheers!
mouse

School Decision Letter Update II

Dear Friends and Family,

We heard from three more schools yesterday. P got into one more school and got wait listed for the other two.

I'm convinced schools don't send out rejection letters anymore. They just wait list everyone. That way, they avoid the drama associated with rejected parents crying and screaming in the office begging for a spot. Instead, those parents need to stay on their best behavior waiting to see if a spot opens up.

Us? We're officially at the point where we need to make a choice. Before, the choices were:

• send P to school A
• don't send P to school A

Now, it got a little more complicated.

• send P to school A instead of school B
• send P to school B instead of school A
• don't send P to either school A or school B

I think we're down to those two schools. We're not going to get into the school where we had the obnoxious interviewer; and, at this point I'd prefer A or B or that school. And, I'm not motivated to finish the application for the school that requires a retest in junior kindergarten. It's the furthest, drive time wise, from everything. And, there's the two public schools that we're not going to wait on. So, we're down to those two schools.

Realistically, unless something changes dramatically in the next week, we'll be putting down a deposit at a school.

So, on Thursday morning, we didn't really have a choice. Today, we do.

Time to start thinking. I think I'd like to visit the schools again next week if possible.


Cheers!
mouse

School Decision Letter Update

Dear Mr. mouse and Mrs. mouse,

The Admission Committee has reviewed P's application, and I am pleased to extend an offer of enrollment into our junior kindergarten (AM) for the 2013-2014 school year.

!!!

Yes. After six torturous months of school tours, recommendations, essays, interviews and play dates, not to mention financial aid forms, we got news. And, to top it off, we got into the first school we heard back from. Life couldn't be better.

I still believe admission is not a yardstick by which we should judge our children. I love P the same. I have the same faith in P's capabilities. This is more about education options and choices we make about where we live.

I am glad we do not have to contemplate a move to the suburbs in the next year. The public schools in our neighborhood is okay, but it's nothing to write home about.

I'm just glad. If seven rejections follow, I'll still be glad.

What started as a tree of 480 options close to a year ago has resolved itself into two options. The only variable left is when I leave my current work.

I know where P will do (did at this point) her three year old program. I know where P will do her four year old program. I know that means we don't have to look for a five year old program. I know that the school she attends is now open to the community so if I get fired she can still finish her three year old program there. I know so much more than I did a year ago. It was a painful year of uncertainty, but we made it through as a team. We are blessed.

Simplicity is a lovely thing.


Cheers!
mouse

$150 Well Spent, I Think

Dear Friends and Family,

I met with an accountant a couple of weeks ago. And, he said he would review my taxes (work, not personal) for $150. He didn't find any major changes, but I feel better knowing that I didn't go too astray in the work I did. There's a couple of changes I need to make and then I think I'm ready to file, which is a good thing since business taxes are due March 15th and it's already March 6th. I think I need to knock this out this weekend since weekdays come and go without much getting done around the house.


Cheers!
mouse

Waiting

Dear Friends and Family,

We got our first letter yesterday. Mr. mouse waited for me to get home. We took a picture of it. We opened it. It said the dates had moved for some schools. We should expect a letter on March 15th.

I had been expecting sometime in April, so March 15th is earlier than I expected. So, the letter was just an FYI.

Now, we just have to get motivated and finish up the last application.


Cheers!
mouse

03.04.13: What I Learned at Church

Dear Friends and Family,

The weekend was busy. We got a lot done, and, of course, that feels good.

We cleared off the kitchen counter, moving everything onto the living room couch. Then, we moved back chunks of stuff at a time making some progress on controlling the clutter. We just need to keep at it until we clear off the couch now.

We bought big kid sheets and a big kid pillow for P. Mr. mouse moved the mattress from the basement up to P's room. She's sleeping on the big kid mattress now.

And, despite some misgivings, we went to church on Sunday. I'm glad I did.

The father spoke about a lot of different things. What did I learn? I realized there's a lot of things I know I shouldn't do, yet I do. And, there's a lot of things I know I should do, yet I don't. I need to do a better job not letting either of those happen. Yet, even as I strive to be a better person, I need to remember I will not be perfect. And, when I fall short of perfection, I need to forgive myself and be okay with it.

This is what happens when you let a Buddhist go to church. Oh, and the Eucharist? For me, it's a reminder that it's just as important to feed the soul and it is to nourish the body.


Cheers!
mouse

Last Day of February

Dear Friends and Family,

It's February 28th. I'm hoping P has a good day at school today.

It's been a rough transition for her from her three year old room to this room. She's had multiple meltdowns. We're not sure if it's the transition from her old room, if it's travel stress, if it's that they haven't been going out, if it's the bad dreams she says she's having, if it's constipation, if it's hypersensitivity, or if it's something else we haven't thought of. The list is apparently endless.

Tuesday, she apparently had a perfect day. Yesterday, she had a good day outside of the meltdown she had with me. We'll see what today brings.

Next week begins the countdown to school notifications.


Cheers!
mouse

Crashing Towards March

Dear Friends and Family,

Taxes. Still not done. House still a disaster. I'm beginning to feel discombobulated.

And, on top of that, we've had weather which adds the stress of traffic to the mix. And, on top of that, Mr. mouse has been busy at work which adds the stress of a less involved parent/spouse to the mix.

Taxes, due on Friday. Taxes, due on Friday. Two more days to finish my taxes. Ugh.


Cheers!
mouse

Wanting Time Off

Dear Friends and Family,

I wish I could have some time off.

I want to sleep. I want to spend some time exercising. I want to have time to cook. I want to organize the house. I want to do my taxes.

On Sunday, we went to church. I'm not sure what the homily meant for a lot of people, but for me, I took away a question I need to ask myself.

What are my priorities?

And, nowhere in my current list is my current work. In a top 3, it wouldn't make the cut. In a top 5, I still don't think it'd make the cut. In a top 10, it may be in there somewhere only because I don't think I have 10 things I'm actively working against.

That should speak volumes.

Yet, I continue to work. I'm committed to working through September (at a minimum) to save a little more for retirement. If P gets into school, I want to take time off and focus on my idea. If P doesn't get into school, I'm not sure what I'll do.

I may keep my job until we figure out what to do about her school. If it involves buying another house to move to a good school district, I may keep my job until we figure that out since applying for a mortgage is easier with two incomes. I'm also thinking about my idea. I want to keep my job until it's break even in case I need funds from work for my idea.

It's all so complicated. I think, in the end, I need some time off. But, I also recognize spending a little more time plugging away at work isn't a bad idea. I'm not quite ready to leave yet. I don't think. Perhaps I'm wrong.

Off to get ready for work.


Cheers!
mouse

02.25.13: Quiet Weekend, Finally

Dear Friends and Family,

We had a birthday party on Saturday, and I had a meeting with an accountant. We had church on Sunday, and I had a couple of hours dedicated to taxes. But, overall, it was still a quiet weekend.

We had time to go to the park and make a snowman. We played color tag to make P get some exercise. We pumped it up at pump it up.

We ate breakfast and dinner at home both days. And, P got to nap in her bed both days. It felt good.

This week promises to be a hectic week. It's the last big push for school and it's driven by the deadline to submit for financial aid. We need to be done with taxes by March 1 to submit our returns to the schools. This is all complicated by the fact that I need to submit my forms for my new business. I was in existence in 2012 even if I didn't have income. So, I need to fill out all of the forms. First on the list is even figuring out what all of the forms are. Sigh.

Which reminds me, I need to go update my sheet so I'm working off of a good sheet for the week.


Cheers!
mouse

Friday, Break from Travel Blog

Dear Friends and Family,

I'm taking a break from the travel review because Mr. mouse hasn't uploaded most of the pictures yet that I need to write. So, I'll finish next week, probably on Wednesday.

Instead, today, I'm looking around the house and I realize nothing happens here on the weeknights. Our house is in the same state of semi-unpacked-ness that it was in on Sunday night when we got home. I think I'll spend a few minutes now trying to make progress before heading to work.

Sigh.


Cheers!
mouse

Day 6: Travel Day

Dear Friends and Family,

Day 6 was a travel day.

We had two options, we could leave Cairo late Wednesday night, fly to Amman late Wednesday night, land in Amman early Thursday morning, rent a car, check into an airport and crash. Or we could wake up in the middle of the night Wednesday night, get to the airport by the crack of dawn, and fly to Amman early Thursday morning. Frankly neither option sounded too appealing. We picked the first option and I'm glad we did. Sleeping in is nice.

What We Did

We woke up around 10 AM. We packed what little we had unpacked. We checked out of our hotel room. We did a little shopping for souvenirs at the hotel. We ate lunch at the hotel. We left for Petra.

The drive to Petra is a three hour drive from Amman to Petra. It's an easy drive on a well marked road. Totally doable by rental car. Our biggest debate was where P should sit since for some reason we could not get a car seat for her. Ultimately, we decided to put her in her own seat, behind one of the front seats, with just the lap belt on. I wanted to hold her belted, but Mr. mouse convinced me that in a crash, I would end up crushing her against the belt with my body which I could see happening and that didn't feel like the right thing to do.

We got to Petra late afternoon. We checked into the hotel. We discussed Petra at night. And, on a whim, we bought tickets. We ate a quick dinner and we headed out.


Petra at night. They light the Siq (the way to the Treasury) with candles in little paper bags. They light the Treasury with a bunch of candles in little paper bags. It's about a mile walk in either direction. P wanted to ride in the sling so it took us about 20 minutes to walk to the Treasury in the dark. P fell asleep on the walk. I guess she had skipped her nap.


Once we were at the Treasury, the had us sit in rows and offered us mint tea. We listened to two musical presentations and then we took a bunch of pictures. P woke up during the pictures so we got to take some with her. We walked out. We went back to the hotel and opted for a slightly later start the next morning to offset the unplanned activities that evening.

What We Ate

We went easy on P.

We had sandwiches for lunch. We had chips in the car. We had pizza for dinner.

What I Learned

Sometimes it's nice having a day off while travelling. We could have tried to squeeze in a site or two on the drive down. But, it was nice sleeping in. P and I had fun playing in the car. A low key day isn't necessarily a waste of time.

Petra at Night would be amazing with a full moon. We didn't plan our trip around a full moon, but I could see it being an even more amazing walk with a full moon. I love full moons and nightscapes.


Cheers!
mouse

Day 5: Cairo

Dear Friends and Family,

Cairo, our second stop in Egypt, gave us a lot to think about. Two weeks before our trip, cars were being torched, hotel lobbies were being looted, and the presidential palace was being stormed. Mr. mouse was watching twitter and instagram and the news to see how the situation on the ground was evolving. One week before the trip, it seemed more quiet. And, while we were there, it was manageable. Plus, we were in Giza to see the pyramids which is like being in Disney World. It's its own bubble of a world focused on tourism.

What We Did


We stayed at a hotel with a view of the pyramids. We could see their outline when we checked in at night. But, there's no describing that first moment in the morning when you open your eyes and look and see the pyramids. Originally, I wanted to do the pyramids in chronological order. Our guide recommended doing Giza first and I'm glad we did. By staying at a hotel close to the pyramids, we beat the rush of tour buses that crowd Giza. And, we also got to enjoy the cool breeze the morning air provides.

Great Pyramid of Khufu

Sphinx and Pyramid of Khafre

Pyramid of Menkaure


After Giza, we headed to Saqqara to see the step pyramid of Djoser. It was the first pyramid built. It was undergoing restoration, as you can see in the photo. I'm not sure if I'm a fan of the restoration. I think they're going a little too far towards fixing. A little bit of crumble is nicer, at least for me, than seeing smooth concrete. Still, as the first pyramid, I'm glad we got to see it.


Technically, we saw the Red Pyramid first and the Bent Pyramid second, but I wanted to show the Bent Pyramid first. You can't actually get up close because it's not open to the public, but you can get close enough for pictures. It's the next evolution from the Step Pyramid to a smooth side pyramid. You can see the adjustment that needed to be made on the angle and you can still see a lot of the original smooth limestone facing.


This was the highlight of my day. The Red Pyramid is the first pyramid built with the classic proportions of the pyramids we all think of when we think of pyramids. It's the third largest of the pyramids. You can go inside. And, we had the whole thing to ourselves. Not another soul in sight if you don't count our driver, our tour guide, and the lonely guy collecting tickets. Unbelievable. Magic.

What We Ate

We went easy on P.

We got room service for breakfast. We got room service for lunch when we got back from our day tour. We went down to the hotel restaurant for dinner.

What I Learned

It really helps to have a guide in Giza if you're pressed for time. Our guide didn't spend a lot of time talking about the sites. But, she did take us unerringly to every perfect photo venue so that I would enjoy the view while Mr. mouse clicked away to capture the moment.

Dahshur should be on every pyramid lover's list. It's a long drive away. But, it's beautiful. And, for now, you'll have the whole place to yourself.


Cheers!
mouse

Days 3 and 4: Luxor

Dear Friends and Family,

Luxor, our first stop in Egypt, was originally only a tentative on the trip itinerary. A colleague at work made it seem like such a chaotic and dangerous place I was a little scared to go and to bring P. It turned out to be an amazing place with a very laid back vibe. I think I saw the most and learned the most while in Luxor. I'm glad we spent two days here.

What We Did


First stop was the Valley of the Kings, a must see in every guide book. Armed with a list of tombs in order of build with little plus and minus signs next to the names of pharaohs based on state of their tomb, we approached the ticket office to see which tombs were open for the day. Our ticket got us entry to three tombs. We picked Merneptah, Ramsses III and Ramsses IV. All three tombs were amazing in the level of detail you can see. Just thinking that the tombs are over two thousand years old and that you're still allowed to walk in them and marvel at the carving and the color made me realize how fortunate we are.

Sarcophagus of Pharaoh Merenptah

Tomb of Ramesses III

Tomb of Ramesses IV


Next on our itinerary, Temple of Hatshepsut. Temples are nice because there's daylight and you can bring your camera. But, because it's exposed, most of the colors are faded or washed away. It's still amazing to walk through the temple and see the carvings.

We made a quick stop afterwards for some souvenirs and lunch. Then, we headed out for our afternoon adventures.


Next on our itinerary, Tombs of the Nobles. Not as highly rated by the guidebooks, we opted to see the Tombs of the Nobles instead of the Valley of the Queens. And, are we glad we did. The tombs are in excellent shape. You have the place to yourself. And, you get to see a different style of tomb. Instead of religious carvings, the tombs are painted with scenes of everyday life in Ancient Egypt.

Tomb of Rekhmire

Tomb of Sennefer


Also not as highly rated in the guide books, Medinet Habu was our last stop for the first day. I can't imagine what the other temples must look life because this one took my breath away. Yes, the text was repetitive, talking repeatedly about the wars Ramesses III won. But, still, the state of preservation made it the best temple on my list.


Day 2 in Luxor started with the Temple of Karnak. Another must see Luxor site, you can't take in the full scope of the detail in one trip. Recognizing that, and recognizing our time limitations, we saw enough of the temple to get the general idea down, but this is a place I could explore for a week and still discover new things.


After Karnak, we went to another classic East Bank site, the Luxor Museum. Any piece in this museum, in any other museum would be behind glass with a long queue of people waiting to see it. Here, you almost have the place to yourself. It feels almost criminal.


To finish off, we went to the Temple of Luxor. Just the right end to a perfect two days in Luxor. It left us enough time to go back to our hotel, relax on the balcony, and finish packing our bags before heading to the airport.

What We Ate

We went easy on P.

Day 0. When we arrived, we went down to the hotel restaurant and ordered pasta for P. Mr. mouse and I shared a plate of Middle Eastern dips followed by a plate of fish and chips.

Day 1. We ate breakfast at the hotel. We had chicken with eggplant and rice for lunch. We ate dinner at the hotel. I don't remember what.

Day 2. We ate breakfast at the hotel. P had pizza for lunch. We ate pizza at the airport. We had pasta and another plate of Middle Eastern dips for dinner in Cairo.

What I Learned

Egyptians are truly generous. Our guide kept us stocked with water and snacks. Outside of restaurants, we didn't have to buy water on our entire trip. We had water left over when we were done.

It's completely safe to visit the tourist sites. There's the usual swarm of people trying to sell you postcards and trinkets, but nothing like what I encountered in India.

A guide really helps. They know where to buy tickets, who to give the tickets to, and they keep ad hoc guide offers at bay. They also explain things I would have missed if I was looking on my own.

The Egyptians love P. Several asked if they could take pictures of her. They were constantly petting her and trying to get her attention. They also all assumed she was a boy.

$4.50 gets you pictures inside of a tomb. Sad, but true, it's still a country that is developing infrastructure around how to preserve it's unique history.

And, last, but definitely not least, I learned that human beings are capable of amazing things. The scale of the ruins, the beauty of the artwork, the fact that it's all lasted this long, it made me realize what we can do when we set our hearts and minds to any task.


Cheers!
mouse

P.S. all of the indoor pictures were borrowed from wikipedia

Days 1, 2, and 9: The Big Travel Days

Dear Friends and Family,

If you haven't guessed yet, we've been travelling for a week now. We went to Egypt and Jordan to see the sites. I'll get to those parts of my trip throughout the week this week, but, today, I'll talk about our travel days.

What We Did

On the way out, we flew from home to Frankfurt. We had a long layover in Frankfurt. It was just enough time to shop for some clothes for P, some muesli for Mr. mouse, and for some groceries for the trip. We continued on to Cairo in Egypt. And, from there to Luxor which was the first stop on our trip.

P was great on the flights. She colored. She read. She played a memory game. She ate. She slept. We couldn't ask for anything more.

On the way back, we flew from Amman to Frankfurt. We originally had a tight connection to our flight home. But, due to a flight delay in Amman, we missed our connection. Fortunately, we were able to get a flight a couple of hours later. It was just enough time to check in, get our boarding passes, eat a snack, and head to our gate.

P was great on the flights. She colored. She waited patiently for her dessert. She ate her gummy bears. She napped.

What We Ate

Nothing of note. It was standard airplane food while we were travelling.

What I Learned

The Germans love P. They showered her smiles and the flight attendants gave her all sorts of toys on the flights.

No scissors on international flights. Not even kid scissors.

The Egyptians are a generous people. They couldn't stand the sight of P's tears and let us take the scissors through security. We checked the scissors on the way back to avoid the issue altogether.

On the way back, because we missed our connection, we got three seats that we needed to barter to get seats together. Mr. mouse had an aisle nowhere near P and me. The German man in the aisle seat across from P switched with Mr. mouse, no hassle, no questions asked. No fuss. No muss. This is why I love Germans.

The woman who had the seat next to P is a totally different story. I had the window in front of P. I asked her to switch seats with me and she didn't want to. She wanted the aisle next to an unaccompanied minor rather than the window next to a sleeping adult. I was tempted to let her have the seat next to P for nine and a half hours. Instead, I offered up Mr. mouse's aisle seat and we had the window with the window and aisle behind instead.

Seriously? She didn't get up at all during the flight, so I don't know why the aisle seat was so critical. I wonder what she would have done with P if I took my originally assigned seat since she refused to switch with me. I learned I want to be like the German man. No fuss. No muss.


Cheers!
mouse

Round 3: Week 0 Progress

Dear Friends and Family,

I got back my lab results and my doctor reduced my thyroid medicine again to half a pill a day for six weeks. To keep things simple, I took 21 pills and cut them in half all at once.

I'm feeling fine. I'm a little cold at night and I get tired earlier than I would if my thyroid levels were higher. I'm beginning to lose the weight I put on when my medication took me from hyper to hypo. My symptoms are at bay.

Am I glad I went on the medication? At the moment, yes. Do I wish I never had a recurrence in the first place? Of course, obviously. I guess I'll take it from here. Take my medicine and see where I am in six weeks. What choice do I have?

On a separate note, I dropped off the mugs yesterday and no one died. Our house is a little less cluttered for it although you technically can't tell since the mugs were stored in a cabinet over the stove behind closed doors. Still, technically a little less cluttered for it. I guess it was the right thing to do.


Cheers!
mouse

52 Things Will Leave the Mouse Pad (Round 2) Update

Dear Friends and Family,

It's a new year. And, I'm beginning another round of my clutter diet. The goal? I am going to try and have 52 things meaningfully leave the mouse pad this year. It's a purposeful decision to remove something that has found a home in our home. I'm evicting unwanted tenants.

There's different questions different people use to gauge what should stay and what should go. There's do I still love it, does it serve a purpose, when did I last use it, etc. My guiding light question will be knowing what I know today, would I buy this today?

The List (most recent departures listed first):

1. I'm writing about clutter because sometimes it's easier to focus on a small thing than to try and process a storm going on around you. And, I am truly getting rid of something so I have the slight endorphin rush from progress against clutter. This one is almost comical. I have 12 Disney coffee mugs I bought in 1994 so almost twenty years ago. Actually, I bought close to two dozen mugs, but donated a batch some years ago and kept only my favorites. The colors are them are really nice. The feel of them is really nice. I haven't used one ever. They're still new in box. I found a friend of a friend who has a car with a vanity plate of Disney Lover. I am going to give the last 12 mugs to her. I am still sad to have these mugs leave the house. I don't use them. They sit above my stove in the cabinet. They need to go. Would I buy them today? Possibly, if I came across them somewhere. The problem is, I don't think I'd come across them anywhere today. So, I guess I couldn't or rather I wouldn't buy them today. Be strong, mouse, let them go.
2. The next two are almost trivial. I almost feel guilty counting them. Yesterday, I went into a bin of light bulbs we had and I found a plant bulb from the pile of random bulbs that sit in our garage. I brought it into work and gave it to my friend who now uses it to light up the plant I gave her. (see below, second from bottom)
3. I brought a bag of P's swim diapers to school. We've been most excellent about managing diaper inventory and diaper transitions to not have spare diapers, but swim diapers are a different story. On numerous occasions, we bought a pack of 12 to use one at the hotel pool and brought 11 home. Since P doesn't need swim diapers anymore and since we forgot to bring them to my sister who does, I brought them into school and gave them to the two year old room, for those times they might need them.
4. Apparently Mr. mouse got motivated. Out went a cable modem box, an old telephone, two routers, and "some other stuff."
5. It comes out of the woodwork. Clutter. I decided to donate a unitasker. I have a sandwich maker. It makes sandwiches. You butter the outside, you put something yummy and meltable on the inside. You wait the requisite amount of time and voila! Golden brown and delicious on the outside, hot and gooey on the inside. Except, a pan and our bacon press does the same thing. And, I don't eat many sandwiches with cheese. And, the sandwich maker makes is a little too brown on the outside. Still, it's childhood memories headed to Goodwill.
6. More clutter coming out of the woodwork. I peeked inside a cabinet we never use. I know that all of the stuff in it needs to eventually make its way out of the mouse pad. For today, three plastic cups with a baseball logo on one side and a supermarket logo on the other are going to Goodwill. We'll never use these cups. I didn't even know we had them until I looked into the cabinet.
7. And, at the last minute, I decided to add the bagel slicer to the things headed to Goodwill. If the bagel is that hard, I'm not sure I want to be eating it. Why do I suddenly feel two rounds of 52 won't be enough?
8. Erin, at work, LOVES the aqua globes she got from me as a white elephant gift. I have one more box of three in the basement. I think I'll bring them in today for her. I hope that's all of the aqua globes we have in the house. I'm beginning to think Mr. mouse has hoarder tendencies. I hope he never spirals out of control.
9. Two winter coats, both gifts from Mr. mouse's folks to me for the holidays, I wore one coat until it died on me and I'll never wear the other one unless my life depended on it.
10. The other two baby gates, Mr. mouse brought three over for my sister (see below). These two didn't make the cut. They're loaded in my car so we can take them to Goodwill this weekend.
11. baby gear: three baby gates
12. books: five or more kid books
13. toys: two noise makers
14. toys: Candy Land and Chutes and Ladders
15. toys: elephant pull toy
16. toys: peg puzzle with farm animals
17. toys: two bags of blocks
18. useful, just not for us: house plant
19. useful, just not for us: exercise ball

The tally from 2012?

1. junk: 15
2. useful, just not for us: 14
3. toys: 11
4. baby gear: 7
5. odds and ends: 3
6. books: 2

We'll see if I can get to 52 this year. I'm cautiously optimistic.


Cheers!
mouse

And, How It All Played Out

Dear Friends and Family,

I was giving this a lot more thought on my drive into work. And, in the end, it all played out the way I thought it would.

My project it too high profile to kill without a lot of discussion. I think my former boss thought on Monday night that killing it was the path of least resistance. Or my new boss misinterpreted my former boss. I'm not sure which. Honestly.

BTW, my new boss works for my former boss so this is all tangled up.

Anyway, two of my close business partners have an almost direct dial line to the CEO. And, when we told the first, he looked numb and panicky and threatened/promised (depending upon your point of view) to call the CEO. I scheduled my second meeting for the afternoon to see how the first one meeting played out.

As promised, he wrote the CEO. And, by lunch my former boss' boss called me into his office to tell me I'm not to cancel my project. I called my former boss to confirm that he was on the same page. And, he said, do not cancel your project. I checked with my new boss, and he said the same thing.

So, I cancelled my afternoon meeting since I didn't need it. We went through a lot of u-turns, and we landed essentially where we started. My project is back on. And, I have confirmation my business partners value the work I do.

I can't say the drama was fun. I feel a lot more cynical now than I did two days ago. I'm looking forward to my week off next week.


Cheers!
mouse

Little Lightbulb Moments: Free, at Last

Dear Friends and Family,

Yesterday, they cancelled my program.

The two people who were supposed to champion it got together and cancelled it. I'm being re-purposed to a new project. Lovely. I'm going to miss working with the people I worked with over the last year. But, I'm not as sad as I thought I'd be.

I had a talk with my former boss (the one I had for about a month after my old boss left) about a month ago. I told him I didn't hold any of the past changes against him. I told him I enjoyed my project. I told him with a raise, I would be motivated to stay another year. He was thrilled to hear that and assigned me to a new boss (just this past week) who apparently must have begun pouring poison into his ear about my project because now it's cancelled and my new boss had a wonderful new resource freed up to work on his other projects.

Why am I not as sad as I thought I'd be?

Well, it shows me the nature of my new boss.

And, it shows me how willing my former boss (the one I had for about a month after my old boss left) is to inject volatility back into my life (since apparently I told him I didn't hold old abuse against him) which means he wasn't all that sorry for the past changes. He was just saying so, so I feel like it shows me the nature of my former boss.

I'm not working on my project which is sad. We're killing it. I'll miss the teams I work with. I'll be leaving my business partners in a lurch. I'll miss driving the results we had been driving. This makes me sad.

I may or may not get the raise I've been promised.

So, why am I not as sad as I thought I'd be?

I'm free to leave. Before, if they got me the raise, I was committed to a year at work. Now, since the reneged on part of the bargain, I'm free to leave, raise or no raise.

I'm in the process of signing up my first customers and in the process of hiring my first employee. It all seems so fragile right now, but I guess all businesses start somewhere.

Next week, I'm going to take some time off to think. And, the week after I'm going to plow through school stuff. And, we begin getting notices in early March for P's school. And, in all this, I'm free to leave.

Perhaps I'm ready to jump into the pool. I hope the water's nice.


Cheers!
mouse

52 Things Will Leave the Mouse Pad (Round 2) Update

Dear Friends and Family,

It's a new year. And, I'm beginning another round of my clutter diet. The goal? I am going to try and have 52 things meaningfully leave the mouse pad this year. It's a purposeful decision to remove something that has found a home in our home. I'm evicting unwanted tenants.

There's different questions different people use to gauge what should stay and what should go. There's do I still love it, does it serve a purpose, when did I last use it, etc. My guiding light question will be knowing what I know today, would I buy this today?

The List (most recent departures listed first):

1. The next two are almost trivial. I almost feel guilty counting them. Yesterday, I went into a bin of light bulbs we had and I found a plant bulb from the pile of random bulbs that sit in our garage. I brought it into work and gave it to my friend who now uses it to light up the plant I gave her. (see below, second from bottom)
2. I brought a bag of P's swim diapers to school. We've been most excellent about managing diaper inventory and diaper transitions to not have spare diapers, but swim diapers are a different story. On numerous occasions, we bought a pack of 12 to use one at the hotel pool and brought 11 home. Since P doesn't need swim diapers anymore and since we forgot to bring them to my sister who does, I brought them into school and gave them to the two year old room, for those times they might need them.
3. Apparently Mr. mouse got motivated. Out went a cable modem box, an old telephone, two routers, and "some other stuff."
4. It comes out of the woodwork. Clutter. I decided to donate a unitasker. I have a sandwich maker. It makes sandwiches. You butter the outside, you put something yummy and meltable on the inside. You wait the requisite amount of time and voila! Golden brown and delicious on the outside, hot and gooey on the inside. Except, a pan and our bacon press does the same thing. And, I don't eat many sandwiches with cheese. And, the sandwich maker makes is a little too brown on the outside. Still, it's childhood memories headed to Goodwill.
5. More clutter coming out of the woodwork. I peeked inside a cabinet we never use. I know that all of the stuff in it needs to eventually make its way out of the mouse pad. For today, three plastic cups with a baseball logo on one side and a supermarket logo on the other are going to Goodwill. We'll never use these cups. I didn't even know we had them until I looked into the cabinet.
6. And, at the last minute, I decided to add the bagel slicer to the things headed to Goodwill. If the bagel is that hard, I'm not sure I want to be eating it. Why do I suddenly feel two rounds of 52 won't be enough?
7. Erin, at work, LOVES the aqua globes she got from me as a white elephant gift. I have one more box of three in the basement. I think I'll bring them in today for her. I hope that's all of the aqua globes we have in the house. I'm beginning to think Mr. mouse has hoarder tendencies. I hope he never spirals out of control.
8. Two winter coats, both gifts from Mr. mouse's folks to me for the holidays, I wore one coat until it died on me and I'll never wear the other one unless my life depended on it.
9. The other two baby gates, Mr. mouse brought three over for my sister (see below). These two didn't make the cut. They're loaded in my car so we can take them to Goodwill this weekend.
10. Mr. mouse is going on a business trip that brings him within a short drive of my sister so we're doing another scrub of the basement for stuff that P is done with. The biggest and bulkiest would be the five baby gates that my sister needs that P is done with. We took the last ones down late last year so I'll be glad when they're out of the house. Three made it on the flight. Five was too bulky.
11. books: five or more kid books
12. toys: two noise makers
13. toys: Candy Land and Chutes and Ladders
14. toys: elephant pull toy
15. toys: peg puzzle with farm animals
16. toys: two bags of blocks
17. useful, just not for us: house plant
18. useful, just not for us: exercise ball

The tally from 2012?

1. junk: 15
2. useful, just not for us: 14
3. toys: 11
4. baby gear: 7
5. odds and ends: 3
6. books: 2

We'll see if I can get to 52 this year. I'm cautiously optimistic.


Cheers!
mouse

02.04.13: Overwhelmed

Dear Friends and Family,

P's not sick anymore. We had another play date on Friday. P and I got our haircut on Saturday.

Work is still overwhelming. My new boss is so different from my old one, I'm beginning to realize it's going to take awhile for us to settle into a groove. Mr. mouse needs a haircut.

We worked through a MOUNTAIN of tasks this weekend, taking a short break on Saturday to go sledding and on Sunday to go to dim sum. Yet, we have a mountain of tasks ahead of us.

We have another play group on Tuesday.

I have more lab work on Tuesday and a follow-up discussion on what that means for my thyroid. I think I'm on even keel now, so my expectation is that I'll stay on my current dosage. But, we'll see. I might be completely off my rocker and not even realize it.

We have taxes due on Friday (for financial aid) - taxes which include taxes for my idea which will be a first, taxes for which we haven't received all of the requisite forms yet. Lovely.

And, last, but not least, we planning a trip. There's lots of research and I'm not sure if we'll still end up going. It depends upon the situation on the ground. Mr. mouse knows I have reservations. We'll see how the week goes.

Oh. And, it's snowing which means we'll have a lovely two hour commute this morning.

Happy Monday.


Cheers!
mouse

52 Things Will Leave the Mouse Pad (Round 2) Update

Dear Friends and Family,

It's a new year. And, I'm beginning another round of my clutter diet. The goal? I am going to try and have 52 things meaningfully leave the mouse pad this year. It's a purposeful decision to remove something that has found a home in our home. I'm evicting unwanted tenants.

There's different questions different people use to gauge what should stay and what should go. There's do I still love it, does it serve a purpose, when did I last use it, etc. My guiding light question will be knowing what I know today, would I buy this today?

The List (most recent departures listed first):

1. Apparently Mr. mouse got motivated. Out went a cable modem box, an old telephone, two routers, and "some other stuff."
2. It comes out of the woodwork. Clutter. I decided to donate a unitasker. I have a sandwich maker. It makes sandwiches. You butter the outside, you put something yummy and meltable on the inside. You wait the requisite amount of time and voila! Golden brown and delicious on the outside, hot and gooey on the inside. Except, a pan and our bacon press does the same thing. And, I don't eat many sandwiches with cheese. And, the sandwich maker makes is a little too brown on the outside. Still, it's childhood memories headed to Goodwill.
3. More clutter coming out of the woodwork. I peeked inside a cabinet we never use. I know that all of the stuff in it needs to eventually make its way out of the mouse pad. For today, three plastic cups with a baseball logo on one side and a supermarket logo on the other are going to Goodwill. We'll never use these cups. I didn't even know we had them until I looked into the cabinet.
4. And, at the last minute, I decided to add the bagel slicer to the things headed to Goodwill. If the bagel is that hard, I'm not sure I want to be eating it. Why do I suddenly feel two rounds of 52 won't be enough?
5. Erin, at work, LOVES the aqua globes she got from me as a white elephant gift. I have one more box of three in the basement. I think I'll bring them in today for her. I hope that's all of the aqua globes we have in the house. I'm beginning to think Mr. mouse has hoarder tendencies. I hope he never spirals out of control.
6. Two winter coats, both gifts from Mr. mouse's folks to me for the holidays, I wore one coat until it died on me and I'll never wear the other one unless my life depended on it.
7. The other two baby gates, Mr. mouse brought three over for my sister (see below). These two didn't make the cut. They're loaded in my car so we can take them to Goodwill this weekend.
8. Mr. mouse is going on a business trip that brings him within a short drive of my sister so we're doing another scrub of the basement for stuff that P is done with. The biggest and bulkiest would be the five baby gates that my sister needs that P is done with. We took the last ones down late last year so I'll be glad when they're out of the house. Three made it on the flight. Five was too bulky.
9. There's five books that P never really took a liking too. Two have licensed characters. Two we got as gifts, but P had moved beyond those books before we got them. And, one, kinda got lost in the basement. Apparently Mr. mouse took down more than five books. No definite number, just more than five.
10. There's three noise makers. P got them for her first Christmas. He took down two.
11. toys: Candy Land and Chutes and Ladders
12. toys: elephant pull toy
13. toys: peg puzzle with farm animals
14. toys: two bags of blocks
15. useful, just not for us: house plant
16. useful, just not for us: exercise ball

The tally from 2012?

1. junk: 15
2. useful, just not for us: 14
3. toys: 11
4. baby gear: 7
5. odds and ends: 3
6. books: 2

We'll see if I can get to 52 this year. I'm cautiously optimistic.


Cheers!
mouse

52 Things Will Leave the Mouse Pad (Round 2) Update

Dear Friends and Family,

It's a new year. And, I'm beginning another round of my clutter diet. The goal? I am going to try and have 52 things meaningfully leave the mouse pad this year. It's a purposeful decision to remove something that has found a home in our home. I'm evicting unwanted tenants.

There's different questions different people use to gauge what should stay and what should go. There's do I still love it, does it serve a purpose, when did I last use it, etc. My guiding light question will be knowing what I know today, would I buy this today?

The List (most recent departures listed first):

1. Erin, at work, LOVES the aqua globes she got from me as a white elephant gift. I have one more box of three in the basement. I think I'll bring them in today for her. I hope that's all of the aqua globes we have in the house. I'm beginning to think Mr. mouse has hoarder tendencies. I hope he never spirals out of control.
2. The other two baby gates, Mr. mouse brought three over for my sister (see below). These two didn't make the cut. They're loaded in my car so we can take them to Goodwill this weekend.
3. Two winter coats, both gifts from Mr. mouse's folks to me for the holidays, I wore one coat until it died on me and I'll never wear the other one unless my life depended on it.
4. Mr. mouse is going on a business trip that brings him within a short drive of my sister so we're doing another scrub of the basement for stuff that P is done with. The biggest and bulkiest would be the five baby gates that my sister needs that P is done with. We took the last ones down late last year so I'll be glad when they're out of the house. Three made it on the flight. Five was too bulky.
5. There's five books that P never really took a liking too. Two have licensed characters. Two we got as gifts, but P had moved beyond those books before we got them. And, one, kinda got lost in the basement. Apparently Mr. mouse took down more than five books. No definite number, just more than five.
6. There's three noise makers. P got them for her first Christmas. He took down two.
7. There's Mr. Potato Head. My friend at work got it for P. It was a life saver on our first trip with it when I had P with me in a middle seat. We played with it for hours. She's since outgrown it. Apparently she hasn't outgrown Mr. Potato Head. She was very sad to hear about it and pointed out that Mr. mouse had seen her playing with it last night. So, Candy Land and Chutes and Ladders went down instead.
8. There's a pull toy elephant that my best friend gave us. The one time P got attached to it was when we put it out during her second birthday party and Little Miss I Haven't Learned to Share Yet lost it and started crying about the elephant. The elephant went.
9. There's a peg puzzle with farm animals. P liked it, but she's outgrown it. The puzzle went.
10. Last, but not least, there's a bag of blocks. I think P might at some point develop a greater interest in blocks. But, I'm hoping the five bags of blocks we have will be plenty to build to her heart's desire. One more box of blocks went for a total of two sets of blocks. So, ultimately, some changes in what went, but I'll keep the tally the same.
11. useful, just not for us: house plant
12. useful, just not for us: exercise ball

The tally from 2012?

1. junk: 15
2. useful, just not for us: 14
3. toys: 11
4. baby gear: 7
5. odds and ends: 3
6. books: 2

We'll see if I can get to 52 this year. I'm cautiously optimistic.


Cheers!
mouse